Archer build

[EliteDragon]

** The thing i'm really wondering is if a WPF of 170 will actually give me a higher rate of fire and higher precision. Because although 8 PD deals allot of damage, headshots will do more in the long run. Any tips?? Asking for advice here (Keshian, Gorath, other leet archers?)

Cheers

Of course it will. Higher WPF = higher RoF/accuracy. If you want to win archer duels, this amount of WPF would almost guarantee you a win. Of course you still have to have some footwork to dodge some arrows if you miss your shots. For a HA, this is even more important as your accuracy on a horse is decreased dramatically.

[Ishtar_Soup]

Thank you EliteDragon for the fast reply!
Although new problems come to mind. Im actually wondering if the trade-off from a 8 PowerDraw build to a 8 WeaponMaster build are actually worth it. My goal is to be both a battle archer; to aid my team mates when the are in combat, and a good medium to long range shooter.

The main goal of this build is to kick ars when Strategus is back online!

Im considering one of the following builds: (Level 31 builds)
Balanced Build:
Strength: 21
Agility: 21

Converted: 12
Athletics: 6
Power Draw: 7
Weapon Master: 7

Archery: 160
Two handed: 63
-------------------------------------------------------

WPF Build

Strength: 18
Agility: 24

Converted: 12
Athletics: 6
Power Draw: 6
Weapon Master: 8

Archery: 170
Two handed: 51

[Dravic]

Depends on what weap are you going to use:

If you are going to use Warbow and still compete with other archers with lighter bows (i mean strong/khergit) you have to chose WPF build.

HOWEVER, if you want to actually kill in few shots, you are going to use Warbow with at least 7 PD so you have more dmg than others. I would recommend following build for a "battle archer", so archer with decent dmg at short-medium distances [because at long distances every archer sux due to dmg reduce at bigger distances].

Level 30 (4 420 577 xp)

Strength: 24
Agility: 18
Hit points: 59
Converted: 14
Ironflesh: 0
Power Strike: 0
Shield: 0
Athletics: 3
Riding: 0
Horse Archery: 0
Power Draw: 8
Power Throw: 0
Weapon Master: 6
One Handed: 1
Two Handed: 1
Polearm: 1
Archery: 156
Crossbow: 1
Throwing: 1

[Adrian]

LvL 30 build for my archer:

PD-6
Athletics-6
Weapon Master-7
Ironflesh-3

Go with this if you like using a warbow and you will do just fine if you are decent at archery

[Raina]

This is the build I've found to be most effective since the patch:
15 Str
24 Agi
5 Power Strike
5 Athletics
5 Power Draw
8 Weapon master
155 Archery
99 2-hander

I use a Masterwork Strongbow with Bodkins and a Balanced Longsword for melee. 

I don't really understand the fixation on having a higher powerdraw than required.  My damage with a strongbow and only 5 powerdraw is sufficient for the current state of archery in this game, and to get up to 7 or 8 powerdraw would require far more sacrifices in WPF than I'd be willing to give. 

155 WPF with a masterwork strongbow is about as accurate as it can get.. but this gen I'm thinking of going to 165 or so and only having 60ish 2hander WPF, in order to have a longer period of maximum accuracy. 

[Tears of Destiny]

I don't really understand the fixation on having a higher powerdraw than required.  My damage with a strongbow and only 5 powerdraw is sufficient for the current state of archery in this game, and to get up to 7 or 8 powerdraw would require far more sacrifices in WPF than I'd be willing to give.

The fixation is a difference of roles. High Accuracy makes you an extremely deadly long range sniper.

On the other hand, my build with a warbow and 10 PD means my long range accuracy is significantly less at 130-ish wp, but on the other hand I can keep the reticule smaller for a significantly longer time, allowing me to hold my shot better. Also hitting like a truck means if I hit you, you feel it regardless of armor.

So, again, difference of roles. You are much better in shooting targets from afar (Sniper Rifle), while I am able to consistently bring down any horse that begins a charge on team mates or quickly break shields long before they close to melee (Machine Gun Turret). I absolutely adore bridge battles or urban fights due to this.

For the average user, I do suggest a concentration on WPF not PD, as it does make the Archer much more traditional, and not so mid-range sledgehammer support.

EDIT: Also the required minimum of 30 STR means I have a lot more grace against enemy archers due to the HP difference. It usually takes 5 or so bodkin arrows to bring me down, an advantage I greatly enoy when an archer takes the first "surprise" shot against me.

[Raina]

On the other hand, my build with a warbow and 10 PD means my long range accuracy is significantly less at 130-ish wp, but on the other hand I can keep the reticule smaller for a significantly longer time, allowing me to hold my shot better. Also hitting like a truck means if I hit you, you feel it regardless of armor.

I honestly don't understand how you claim to have less long-range accuracy and say that your reticule is smaller for longer periods of time.  I think the build with the smaller reticule for longer time would necessarily have better long range accuracy.   Unless what you're saying is that your reticule is NOT smaller than a high WPF build, yet holds its maximum accuracy for longer... in that case you may be correct.

I can't speak from experience of having played a high PD build, but I have fought against high PD archers and I honestly think that they are at a disadvantage in archer duels.  Even if it takes you 5 arrows to die, and only 2 or 3 for me to die, I will still have a much better rate of fire than you and higher accuracy, and will most likely win the duel. 

I'm not here to try to convince anyone that a high PD build is bad, or that my build is the best.  I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on this subject, and let people who were interested know the build that I use most of the time.  The battlefield will decide which build is more effective 

[Tears of Destiny]

I honestly don't understand how you claim to have less long-range accuracy and say that your reticule is smaller for longer periods of time.  I think the build with the smaller reticule for longer time would necessarily have better long range accuracy.  Unless what you're saying is that your reticule is NOT smaller than a high WPF build, yet holds its maximum accuracy for longer... in that case you may be correct.

This, completely, and thus allows me to react better against unexpected movements by targets (Like those bloody horse archers).

As for the rest of your post, of course you are better in archer duels. In my experience I onyl win if I catch them unaware and get that first "Surprise Shot," or if we are unusually close (say 20 meters or closer, urban fighting).

Your build is much better for general battlefield support, I ust like mine better due to it suiting my playstyle more; traveling with friendlies and providing close support instead of hanging back and sniping.

All in all, builds like yours are better I think as they offer more flexability. My build shines only when I have good covering teammates and if the enemy team is cav-heavy or crossing choke-points. I am really built for taking out armored ground pounders, not enemy archers, heh.

[Barracuda]

This is the build I've found to be most effective since the patch:
15 Str
24 Agi
5 Power Strike
5 Athletics
5 Power Draw
8 Weapon master
155 Archery
99 2-hander

I use a Masterwork Strongbow with Bodkins and a Balanced Longsword for melee. 

I don't really understand the fixation on having a higher powerdraw than required.  My damage with a strongbow and only 5 powerdraw is sufficient for the current state of archery in this game, and to get up to 7 or 8 powerdraw would require far more sacrifices in WPF than I'd be willing to give. 

155 WPF with a masterwork strongbow is about as accurate as it can get.. but this gen I'm thinking of going to 165 or so and only having 60ish 2hander WPF, in order to have a longer period of maximum accuracy.

This is a good build for lvl 30 but IMO you don't need wpf in 2h especially with that much agi. I've been playing with 1 wpf in 2h and 18 agi using a longsword and been doing very well. Only real problem has been high agi shielders but the wpf increase wouldn't help much against them.

[Raina]

If you do well with 1 WPF, you'd do even better with 99 ;)

[EliteDragon]

This is the build I've found to be most effective since the patch:
15 Str
24 Agi
5 Power Strike
5 Athletics
5 Power Draw
8 Weapon master
155 Archery
99 2-hander

I use a Masterwork Strongbow with Bodkins and a Balanced Longsword for melee. 

I don't really understand the fixation on having a higher powerdraw than required.  My damage with a strongbow and only 5 powerdraw is sufficient for the current state of archery in this game, and to get up to 7 or 8 powerdraw would require far more sacrifices in WPF than I'd be willing to give. 

155 WPF with a masterwork strongbow is about as accurate as it can get.. but this gen I'm thinking of going to 165 or so and only having 60ish 2hander WPF, in order to have a longer period of maximum accuracy.

If I were to go reg Archer, this is the build I would use. Although you can't snipe, you can follow a group places to provide support which imo helps the team out more than lone archers.

[Keshian]

This, completely, and thus allows me to react better against unexpected movements by targets (Like those bloody horse archers).

As for the rest of your post, of course you are better in archer duels. In my experience I onyl win if I catch them unaware and get that first "Surprise Shot," or if we are unusually close (say 20 meters or closer, urban fighting).

Your build is much better for general battlefield support, I ust like mine better due to it suiting my playstyle more; traveling with friendlies and providing close support instead of hanging back and sniping.

All in all, builds like yours are better I think as they offer more flexability. My build shines only when I have good covering teammates and if the enemy team is cav-heavy or crossing choke-points. I am really built for taking out armored ground pounders, not enemy archers, heh.

I have done 4 powerdraw high wpf to 10 powerdraw with lower wpf justs testing out the new patch features.  The higher powerdraw allows you to hold the reticules steadier for longer, but the wpf prevents/reduces the randomness factor in the arrow projectile (absolutely the lamest/most annoying feature of post-patch archery, also why many archers will aim dead on at a non-moving target at medium range and the arrows will miss 3-4 shots in a row).  What this means is that the higher powerdraw bow will have a longer steadier shot with higher shoot speed so less leading and more sustained damage at longer ranges as lower shoot speeds see rapidd ecrease in damage over range, but within that reticule of aiming the shots will go haywire left/right, up/down of the center of the reticule far more often.  High PD is most effective in siege defenses with short range high-powered shots from behind crenellations and with taking down cavalry and heavily armored people.  I've seen KeshImpossibletoDivideByKesh (not me) with 13 powerdraw oneshot a lot of people with the powerdraw 6 bows, it shoots like a bullet witht hat shoot speed.

High wpf has the benefit of shooting almost always in the exact center of your aimed reticule and for allowing quick shots on the fly, seems most effective on the battle servers and in attacking side of sieges (where only a head might be showing from behind a crenellation).  Think DaddyNasty style of play (where did he go by the way, miss that bald-headed archer) with quick accurate shots, that are most effective with headshots.  Still need powerdraw 5 with Masterwork khergit or heirloomed/normal strong bow to do any kind of real damage against medium-armored folks, but I know from when I go melee with good armor it would take 10 shots to kill me at least and I will tend to just ignore the archer and kill the throwers and xbowers who are far more effective at hurting me.

Whatever you do, use bodkin arrows as the peirce damage is essential.  Also, the msot recent patch made a mistake with the warbow and should just ignore that bow for now as it has Exact same shoot speed as the strong bow with only difference +1 accuracy, +3 cut damage.  The cut damage difference is ahrdly noticeable and is definitely not worth the significant tradeoff in draw speed.

[Keshian]

This is the build I've found to be most effective since the patch:
15 Str
24 Agi
5 Power Strike
5 Athletics
5 Power Draw
8 Weapon master
155 Archery
99 2-hander

I use a Masterwork Strongbow with Bodkins and a Balanced Longsword for melee. 

I don't really understand the fixation on having a higher powerdraw than required.  My damage with a strongbow and only 5 powerdraw is sufficient for the current state of archery in this game, and to get up to 7 or 8 powerdraw would require far more sacrifices in WPF than I'd be willing to give. 

155 WPF with a masterwork strongbow is about as accurate as it can get.. but this gen I'm thinking of going to 165 or so and only having 60ish 2hander WPF, in order to have a longer period of maximum accuracy.

I like the build, I think every archer should have some powerstrike now as the slower draw speeds mean you will face melee combat in most fights at some point.  I personally would rather go 18-21 using the strongbow with 6 athletics, 7 weaponmaster, 6 powerdraw, 3 powerstrike and sue a piercing/blunt weapon or avery high cut damage weapon.  I find however that I have been tending toward 18-18 builds lately as the little extra wpf (8-9 per weaponamster with how expensive wpf is at high levels) isn't worth all the tradeoffs.  I go 6 powerdraw, 6 powerstrike, 6 athletics, 6 weaponmaster, 5 ironflesh and would recommend this build to anyone just starting off as an archer and using a strong bow with bodkin arrows and a highly spammable weapon like katana/longsword/bastard sword (~100 speed) or elegant poleaxe/iron staff/glaive all with polearm stun.  You can put 55 wpf in your melee weapon and 150 wpf into archery and do significant damage in both to all but the tin cans, which are rather rare now.

[Dom.Miguel]

Level 30 (4 420 577 xp)

    * Strength: 21
    * Agility: 18
    * Hit points: 56

    * Converted: 8
    * Ironflesh: 0
    * Power Strike: 5
    * Shield: 0
    * Athletics: 5
    * Riding: 0
    * Horse Archery: 0
    * Power Draw: 7
    * Power Throw: 0
    * Weapon Master: 6

    * One Handed: 1
    * Two Handed: 1
    * Polearm: 88
    * Archery: 141
    * Crossbow: 1
    * Throwing: 1

Am I doing it right?

[corto]

depends on the bow u use.

i havent found the right setup for anything above khergit. my strongbow is always abit to clumsy, no matter if 165 wpf and 5 pdraw or 150 wpf and 7 pdraw...

suggestions?